Food is an essential part of the college experience — particularly free food. It motivates students to get out of their dorms, take a study break, and meet new people. That’s why university clubs and organizations often cater meetings and events, giving that extra incentive for the highest turnout.

But what happens when the allure of a free meal wears off and students slowly stop showing up? Unfortunately, that’s exactly what can happen if universities only rely on on-campus student catering services.

Why students don’t want on-campus university club catering

Universities do their best to provide students with a home-away-from-home environment. A significant part of that is providing food. Many colleges and universities even advertise their on-campus dining and cuisine options, hoping to attract potential students. 

However, those on-campus options are only appealing for so long. 

Let’s say there are 20 restaurant options on-campus, and any given student might find something they like or can eat at half of them. Then for the next four years, they rotate between those ten restaurants. Those meals — even if they are delicious — can get old very quickly. 

That’s why nearly three-quarters of students eat at least one meal off-campus every week, and only 33% are happy with the on-campus options. So if they hear a club is offering catered food at a meeting, they will hope — maybe expect — it to be something new, not the same thing they have every day.

It’s also worth mentioning that many students — particularly first-year students — pay in advance for a meal plan, meaning they can get on-campus food at no added cost. So the novelty of catering on campus becomes lost when the food is something they have regular, paid access to. 

Student catering services that only offer on-campus vendors also limit the meal options. People with dietary or cultural restrictions may be unable to make special requests or find something they can eat. If students come to a club meeting expecting food only to find they have no vegan or gluten-free options, they might be discouraged from attending more events. And that’s the opposite effect that free food should have. 

Benefits of off-campus catering

The benefits of off-campus catering boil down to one irrefutable advantage: customizable options. 

Not only do students get to try new restaurants and food with off-campus catering, but they can pick the meals they want. There’s no more need to force down the on-campus pizza for the fiftieth time because students can customize their meals and accommodate any dietary requirements. This is the perfect way to create a more inclusive environment for people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. 

Off-campus catering also offers healthier meal options. We’ve all heard about the “freshman 15.” And even though it’s a joke, the reality is that healthy eating can be challenging for busy, stressed-out students. The most convenient meals (usually from on-campus restaurants) are generally not the most nutritious, and students often don’t have the time or the budget to find better alternatives. 

By offering off-campus university club catering, you can provide students with a healthy eating environment. And chances are, students actually want those healthier options and would gladly eat a salad or sushi buffet over pizza. 

What’s even better is that you can offer those healthy options while also supporting the community. With a service like ezCater, you can select a local vendor and champion small businesses in your community. 

How ezCater can make university catering simple

One of the main reasons universities lead toward on-campus catering is its simplicity. These vendors understand the need to feed hundreds or thousands of students and already know that the university is tax-exempt. That alone saves club organizers hours of searching for a vendor that can accommodate large parties and explaining that they are, in fact, tax-exempt. 

But what if there was a way to streamline the ordering process even more while providing students with diverse meal options? With ezCater, there is. 

Tax-exempt? No problem

Repeatedly explaining and proving your university’s tax-exempt status to every outside vendor can be exhausting. And then making sure to track down receipts and check whether or not the restaurant included tax is incredibly time-consuming and tedious. 

ezCater eliminates that entire process with one simple step. When universities sign up for an ezCater account, they include documents proving their tax-exempt status so that every vendor they interact with immediately sees it. That’s it. No more receipts, no more long conversations, and no more wasted time. 

Thousands of dining options 

If you want to provide students with meal options, ezCater is the place to go. Instead of the 20+ on-campus restaurants, you can choose from over 100,000 vendors that are ready and willing to accommodate large catering orders. 

Just enter your ZIP code, and browse the diverse options near your university. 

Streamlined ordering process

Traditionally, off-campus catering means calling several potential vendors, hoping that they handle the tax exemption correctly, and that the orders communicated come correctly and on-time. ezCater simplifies that process by offering app-based (or desktop) ordering. All you need to do is select a vendor, digitally order food, and everything is taken care of from there, even down to electronic receipts for your records.

This simple ordering process saves you significant time, so you dedicate your efforts to what matters most: planning the event and organizing memorable student experiences. 

Cater to student needs with ezCater

The college experience just wouldn’t be the same without food and catered meals at club meetings. So don’t settle for the same-old on-campus options. Give students the diverse cuisine options they want and need with off-campus catering options through ezCater. And don’t just take our word for it. Hear how ezCater helped Rice University feed over 40 graduate student organizations. 

ezCater can do the same for you. Discover how ezCater’s campus solutions can simplify university catering today.